


The Personal Sort

by honda_cvic



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Champions of Hyrule, Depressed Zelda, Divine Beasts, Gen, Jealousy, Knighting ceremony, Lots of internal monologues, Mute Link, Pre-Breath of the Wild, and anger, revali is bitter, the usual yn, this honestly doesn't have a plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 18:06:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11258133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honda_cvic/pseuds/honda_cvic
Summary: The Princess of Hyrule and the Rito Champion have more in common than either of them would ever dare put into words.





	The Personal Sort

“Oh, give it a rest. That boy is a living reminder of her own failures.”

Revali was struck by such a sudden an intense wave of resentment and nauseating anger at that statement that he did not even hear the rest of what Urbosa had to say. He felt his beak fall open a little as he narrowed his eyes at the kneeling knight, just barely containing a scoff as the princess finished her portion of the ceremony. And still that _boy_ was just… kneeling there. Just kneeling there, as if he deserved any of this, as if he had _earned_ that sword on his back, as if he weren’t a living reminder to _all of them_ of their own failures, as if—

As if he weren’t a reminder to Revali himself.

The sickening thought of the _great Master Revali_ having _failed_ at something rang loud and sudden in his head, like someone had struck a bell next to his ear. He tried to push it out, to focus back in on the conclusion of the ceremony, to ignore the look Urbosa was still throwing him and the awkward shifting of feet from Daruk and that _godsdamn ringing_ but it kept reverberating, only growing worse as Revali’s gaze settled back on the boy. 

_Link._ The name alone was enough to make the Rito’s feathers curl. _Link_ , some nobody knight’s son from some nobody town who just happened to catch the attention of the king for some inconceivable reason, who just happened to be in the right place at the right time to pull that damned sword from that damned rock. Link, who was young, inexperienced, small, mute, _Link_ , who did nothing to deserve the title of Appointed Knight, of Hylian Champion, other than having an ongoing stroke of damnable luck. 

Revali had done everything right. He had trained his whole life to serve his people, worked hard every day with the bow, trained tirelessly, even developed all his own techniques to make his aerial combat skills that much better. His title, best archer of all the Rito, was one he wore with pride (and pomp). Sure, he didn’t let anyone forget it, but who would want to? And who would try to argue against this? He had the grace, the technique, the charm, and the actual skill to back it all up. No one was surprised when Revali was called upon by the Hylian royal family to become the champion of his people, the one to pilot the divine beast Vah Medoh. He accepted it with a sort of grace and grandeur everyone came to expect of him, and he accepted it with pride. 

And this boy, this boy kneeling here on the Sacred Grounds, this boy with the sword of the Chosen Hero on his back for the world to see—this boy _shattered_ that pride. He shattered that pride the moment Revali had heard tell that the fifth and final Champion, a Hylian knight (who he later found out was just a _kid_ ) had been chosen to be the Princess’ own Appointed Knight, her fate-dictated hero and personal champion. And Revali was to be a side-character in this escapade. 

Oh, how he _seethed_.

He seethed all the way back to the castle where, in spirit of the depressing and painstakingly awkward knighting ceremony that had just taken place outside, a rather small and tense feast was being served in the large dining chamber. They all went through the motions, kneeling to the King, throwing half-hearted greetings to the other Hylian knights present, most of whom were too busy congratulating Link to pay much mind to the other Champions. Link himself looked slightly more relaxed than he had outside during the ceremony, finding ease in the familiar faces of his fellow knights, and possibly at the thought of dinner.

And Revali continued to watch, continued to feel sickened, by the sight of it all. Princess Zelda had informed the Champions that they were under no obligation to stay for the feast, but Urbosa had quickly assured her, loudly and confidently, that it would be a shame not to. Revali groaned out loud at this. So much for skipping this pointless celebration without looking like a complete asshole. 

Other than a few pointed warning-looks from Urbosa, no one seemed to pay the Rito’s groans any mind as the feast began. However much he disagreed with the Hylian royal family’s decision about this fifth champion, Revali had to admit that they knew how to cook, although the atmosphere was still rather too solemn for comfort. The king led a brief toast before being whisked away for some other task, leaving only a still-tense Princess, a plethora of knights and servants, and the five Champions. 

Zelda did not look like she wanted to be there. Revali could tell because he could relate. Daruk didn’t look enthused either, likely because of the food (Revali didn’t believe that the Gorons actually ate rocks before he met Daruk. Oh, how he had been proven wrong.) Even Link, despite being enamored by the sheer amount of food on his plate, was looking uncomfortable. 

Revali expected Daruk to be the one to break the sullen silence; he was surprised when Princess Mipha beat him to it. “Link,” the Zora started softly, looking up from her plate and across the table at the Hylian, who was halfway through biting off a piece of cucco from a bone. “Do you remember when we were children and my father invited you and your father to our banquet?”

Link nodded at her.

Mipha looked down at her plate and smiled fondly at the memory. “I remember the look on your face when we served the food. All raw fish! You thought I didn’t see, but I remember your father elbowing you so you wouldn’t make a face at it all.”

This got the Hylian to grin, swallowing the large bite of cucco in his mouth. Zelda perked up, looking slightly more interested than she had before, though her voice still had a flatness to it. “You two knew each other as children?”

“A little. Him and his father would visit our domain for the occasional business. Being the same age, we played together during those times.”

Zelda hummed, thoughtful but not overly excited. Though the conversation didn’t move from there, it did seem to lighten the mood a little as the servants made another round with drinks. 

Daruk broke it again with his booming voice, resonating from deep within him. “So if we’re going to be savin’ the realm together, we should probably get better at conversations!”

The other Hylian knights had taken their leave at some point during the prior conversation. Link looked smaller without them next to him. ( _Good_ , Revali thought.)

“Agreed,” Urbosa chimed in, practically a purr. “I, for one, would love to know more about the Chosen Hero of Hyrule.”

Though Urbosa’s voice contained no hint of ill-will, Revali jumped fast on this opportunity, egged on by Link’s slight widening of the eyes. _Gotcha_. “Yes, do tell us _everything_ , Oh Chosen One. Tell us _exactly_ how you’re going to use that sword on your back to protect all of Hyrule—no—all the _world_ , hm?” A pause. “What’s the matter, Bokoblin got your tongue?”

Revali had only a moment to revel in Link’s reddening face and downcast gaze. It was Urbosa who replied. “You’ve got gravy on your beak, feather brain.”

The Rito’s expression turned from smug to horrified as he brought his wing up to wipe his beak and Daruk boomed a laugh. Revali’s narrowed eyes moved from Urbosa (who had stolen his smugness) to Link (who had just gone back to his food, expression unreadable) and to Zelda (who… who was staring at Link seriously, as if she had expected an answer to Revali’s question.)

+++

If the feast was meant to celebrate Link’s knighting as the princess’ Appointed, it had failed spectacularly. If it was meant to bring the Champions closer to one another, it had failed at that too. The conversation had hardly moved, Link not bothering to speak once, Zelda still quiet and tense, Urbosa and Daruk trying unsuccessfully to lighten things up, and Mipha ever watchful and ever worried. It was enough to give Revali a major stress headache. The Champions were offered rooms to stay the night before returning to their domains and Divine Beasts. All accepted but Revali, who insisted instead upon flying home directly, done with formalities and/or attempting to not appear like a total ass. He claimed it was the headache, though in actuality it was primarily because he didn’t want to be near Link any longer than he had to. The boy’s silence was getting on his nerves. Who did he think he was, anyways? Better than Revali? Certainly not. And there was absolutely no way to get at him without Urbosa jumping to his defense again, and Revali was not prepared to risk public humiliation for the sake of putting the “hero” on the spot. No, Revali would wait until he met Link again on his _own_ turf; Zelda had said she would make rounds to check up on the Divine Beasts and their pilots, no doubt with her new glorified bodyguard in tow. Yes, he could wait a bit to humiliate the little knight proper. 

A curt farewell to his fellow Champions and Revali was off. Well, almost off. He was perched on the western tower of the castle, preparing for takeoff, when he heard the tower’s door open behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he was surprised to see Zelda there. She was still wearing her navy blue gown, her blond hair falling long over her back, her face still as solemn as it had been since the ceremony. “I wanted to see you off more properly,” she said simply in response to the Rito’s surprise.

Revali easily stepped backwards off of the tower’s ledge, turning to her with his wings dutifully folded behind his back. “Why, thank you, princess. You should rest now, though; I’m sure it’s been an exhausting day for you.” He did his best to sound sincere, for he did sincerely mean it. He had nothing but respect for her, truly, though he had been told on numerous occasions he had a “tone issue,” whatever the hell that meant. 

She didn’t reply to that, though. “Explain to me your resentment for Link.”

The statement (command?) had no hint of accusation, no anger, no curiosity, nothing. It was as blank as the princess’ face. Still, it caught Revali completely off guard, and to his surprise, he found himself struggling for an answer. What was he supposed to tell her, that he would make a much better knight than that boy? That he should be the one by her side protecting her, that he would do so much better of a job than a child who deserved the role as little as he deserved the sword he wielded? 

“The Rito are known to have keen intuition,” she continued, as if that explained it. “I know my doubts have shown today and I know why I have them. I wish to know why you have yours.”

“Mine are nothing of the personal sort.” Revali blinked at the words that came out of his beak. What? Nothing of the personal sort? Why had he said that?

And yet it was already said, and Zelda looked down at her feet, nodding a little. “I see. I don’t believe mine are, either. He… he really does seem kind, devoted… No, I suppose mine are nothing of the personal sort, either.”

 _That boy is a living reminder of her own failures._ Urbosa’s words echoed in Revali’s head. He looked at this princess, this princess who, according to whispers around the castle, sat on a throne of nothing, who had nothing to show of her title, who worked so hard every day to accumulate something, _anything_ to show for it, and yet who had been outdone by a boy and a sword in such a short amount of time. He looked at this girl with shattered pride.

“Try not to beat yourself up over it, Princess. You have your own role to play, yes?”

Her green eyes were distant. “I suppose so, Master Revali. I suppose so.”

He took a step back up onto the ledge, feeling fuller and yet emptier than before. “I look forward to your arrival at Rito Village. We will make all the necessary arrangements for you and your… _company’s_ stay.”

That prompted a small smile from her. “Thank you, I am looking forward to it, and to checking up on Vah Medoh.”

“Splendid.” And with that, with all the grandeur he could muster (which was, need it be mentioned, a lot), he fell over the edge and immediately summoned a gale from beneath him, launching him upward into the sky as he stretched out his wings, spun around once, twice, and flew off like an arrow. He spared one glance backwards. The princess was still on the tower’s balcony, still watching with distant eyes. 

Nothing of the personal sort. And yet when Revali thought of Link he felt nothing but resentment. Still,—

_That boy is a living reminder of her own failures._

Link’s downcast eyes at dinner.

Bah, never mind all that. Revali would wait and see how things on his own turf played out between him and the knight. He tried not to think about the Princess’ face on the balcony until he was safe at home, at which point he fell asleep almost instantly.


End file.
